Iyengar Yoga & Pranayama Retreats in Denmark, Spain, Italy, Mexico & the USA

Iyengar yoga is the through-line here. If you've only done vinyasa or hot yoga, the pace will feel slower and much more precise — fewer poses, held longer, with a lot of attention on alignment and on using props to get you into a position properly rather than approximating it. Mornings typically start with a 2 to 2.5 hour asana class before breakfast. There's usually a pranayama or seated meditation session either before or after that, depending on the teacher and the day. The second class comes in the late afternoon, often restorative or focused on a specific area — backbends, inversions, hip openers — and then dinner. One day midweek is normally left free of classes altogether for an excursion.

The teachers are what separates these weeks from a generic yoga holiday. Eve Holbrook is a certified Iyengar teacher who has been running these retreats for over a decade — the Mexico trip is now in its 14th year. Michael Morphis co-teaches the Denmark weeks with her. Neta co-teaches Spain and Italy, and Liza co-teaches Mexico. Because the same people come back to the same venues, the teaching is tuned to a returning group rather than reset each time. If you're new to Iyengar, tell them in advance — beginners are welcomed on most weeks, though the short May workshop on Møn is specifically for experienced practitioners.

What you actually do outside class depends on where you are. In Denmark, that means walking the chalk cliffs at Møns Klint, cycling the flat island lanes, and visiting the medieval frescoes in the village churches. In Spain, there's the beach and the white villages of the Axarquía, plus Málaga and Nerja within reach. In Umbria, it's Orvieto, the wine roads around Castel Giorgio and the border country into Tuscany. In Mexico, it's swimming and snorkelling off Chacala Beach, boat trips, and the market towns of Nayarit. Menla, in the Catskills, is a wooded mountain property with trails from the door.

Food is generally vegetarian, cooked on site, and built around what's local and in season — Andalusian vegetables and olive oil in Spain, pasta and produce from the surrounding farms in Umbria, Mexican cooking at Mar de Jade. Dietary requirements are handled if you flag them at booking. Rooms are mostly shared, with a limited number of singles available at supplement.

These are working retreats, not spa weeks. You'll be on the mat twice a day, and you'll probably be tired by Thursday. But afternoons are genuinely unscheduled, the properties are quiet, and the point is to have enough time and enough repetition to actually get somewhere with the practice rather than just sample it.

What's included

- Accommodation at the retreat venue for the full week - Daily Iyengar yoga classes (morning and afternoon on class days) - Daily pranayama and seated meditation sessions - All meals on full retreat days (breakfast, lunch, dinner) - Use of yoga props — blocks, belts, bolsters, blankets, chairs - Guided midweek excursion day - Teaching by a certified Iyengar teacher and co-teacher - Access to the venue grounds, pool and terraces where available

What's not included

- Flights and travel to the retreat destination - Airport transfers and local transport - Travel insurance - Meals taken off site and on the free excursion day - Single room supplement - Massages and any spa treatments - Personal expenses and souvenirs - Yoga equipment you prefer to bring yourself